The constant negotiation of new spaces has impacted how I interact with people, places, and objects. I work in sculpture and painting, while engaging with fibre arts and “craft” – the separation of which I do not agree with as it relates to the conversation around “fine art”. The continuous shifting of personal space is reflected in the way I identify as an artist: always trying something new. The act of experimenting with new materials means my sculptures become painterly, and my paintings become sculptural. I meld these fields together in my practice as I enjoy pushing the limitations of what a material can do, and what it means to interact with an object. I’m also interested in the ways feminist perspectives can help us to bring fibre arts out of the “craft” genre and into the fine arts community. Material listening and exploration are my ways of navigating this conversation.

I’ve created sculptures that push the idea of frontality – what the “front” of a sculpture is considered to be – aiming to have each angle of the sculpture offer a new perspective to the viewer as they move around. Physically orienting the body in space to the view of the art object is reminiscent of my worldview: with every new place I live and visit, my perception shifts. Combining my passion for sculpture and painting, I challenge the borders of those disciplines and reimagine what it means to make both: when does a painting become sculpture and vice versa? Using paper towels and tissue paper as a sculptural medium and recycled fabrics as a canvas, I use the materials at my fingertips to work with these themes. Reimagining “waste” items is one way I work to subvert the material while being mindful of sustainability.

My passion for horror films and novels has greatly influenced how I view art. These stories manifest in my work through distortion and materiality (the quality of a material), influenced by how the genre explores body horror, found footage, feminism, gore, and monstrous creatures. Horror stories push our perception of norms to the edge through the manipulation of expectations. I create art pieces that are full of juxtaposition – such as changing the shape of something hard to appear soft. This play between opposing elements is why I find myself so interested in the horror genre and the exploration of recycled materials: the paper towel is no longer a trash object, but a vehicle for meaning beyond itself.

As I continue to grow in my art practice, my goal is to discover new ways to present recycled items, such as fabrics and paper, and engage with contemporary conversations around “craft” and the outdated principles surrounding it.